A study of assistance of lighting indicators to assist way-finding for firefighting and rescue services
Abstract
Most existing researches discuss way-finding from the view of refugees, and seldom is the issue explored through the viewpoint of fire fighting and rescue. If the time firefighters spend for way-finding can be decreased during a fire, it would reduce losses of life and properties effectively. Thus, in order to analyze possibilities for enhancing way-finding efficacy in an actual fire, this study employed a full scale real space for fire rescue experiments to discuss relevant issues such as fire fighting and rescue crews’ way-finding, behavioral characteristics and addition of supplementary signs. The results are as follow: 1. Existing rescue models indicate that gender, search sequence and search and rescue training affect way-finding the most. 2. Addition of fire location signs can reduce way-finding time greatly and there is no significant difference between firefighters with varying backgrounds. 3. Way-finding sequence is the main reason for the length of time, thus existing training programs should strengthen graphic reading training to increase the ability to establish search and rescue plans.
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